The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) leader, Tomislav Karamarko, on Tuesday called on the cabinet of Social Democrat Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic to annul its decision to introduce dual-script signs on public institutions in Vukovar, claiming that placing such signs in that eastern Croatian town was against the law and nonsensical.
During a visit to the northeastern town of Virovitica, Karamarko said that the HDZ had been warning for some time that under the Constitutional Law on Ethnic Minorities, dual-alphabet signs could be placed only if they did not insult the dignity of the majority.
"Such signs can be installed only if they contribute to understanding, cooperation and dialogue between the Croatian nation and ethnic minorities, and this is not such a case in Vukovar at this moment. Such signs are provoking citizens and insulting their feelings," Karamarko said, adding that it was therefore nonsensical to insist on placing the signs both in Latin and Cyrillic.
He urged the government to start addressing economic issues instead of "picking our fresh wounds".
The Croatian Democratic Party of Slavonia and Baranja (HDSSB), another opposition party, urges the Parliament Speaker Josip Leko to convene an extraordinary parliamentary meeting on the latest developments in Vukovar.
